>All the Small Things

I’d love to say my Mother’s Day was flawless, but I’d be lying. A certain experience at a certain computer store saw to that.

However, my entire family did all they could to make the day a good one and, except for that moment when I fell down dead in the computer store, they succeeded.

I was presented with two bouquets of flowers, treated to lunch and dinner, and I also enjoyed witnessing a valiant effort by my husband to clean out the inside of the microwave oven. But the moments that most touched my heart were the small ones- the long hug from my oldest stepdaughter when I woke up and the CD she made for me that included some songs she’d remembered I had heard and liked. The envelope my younger stepdaughter painstakingly decorated with pearls, silk flowers, and hand-drawn, cut-out letters spelling Happy Mothers Day to hold the iTunes card she’d bought for me. The My Little Pony talking card my four-year-old had chosen for me by herself and presented to me with shining eyes, and the way she mouthed the words along with the card when I opened it, letting me know she had listened to it many, many times before giving it to me.

I felt loved by my kids. And these days, that feeling is more precious than any diamond tennis bracelet or day-long spa treatment. The little gifts from the heart are the ones that can’t be forced, and they’re the sweetest and most memorable of all. They were totally unexpected, which made them even more special. And so, despite the horror that the day included, I think this Mother’s Day may have been my best one yet.

This post originally appeared on Parents.com.